Electric car charging stations set for 12 city-owned parking lots in Long Beach

A dozen city-owned parking lots will soon be equipped with electric vehicle charging stations at no cost to taxpayers.

The Long Beach City Council this week approved a contract for the installation of a dozen charging stations throughout the city, with the possibility of additional stations in the future.

Mayor Bob Foster said in a statement that Long Beach has made a strong commitment to "promoting sustainability and alternative fueled vehicles.

"We are making it easier for residents and visitors to operate alternative fuel vehicles, and improving air quality."

Three companies applied for the contract, and after a panel of city and county employees conducted interviews, the contract was awarded to ECOtality North America of Phoenix with headquarters in San Francisco.

"ECOtality was deemed to be the most qualified based on their proposal and their extensive experience in the industry," said Sarah Price, capital projects coordinator for the Department of Public Works.

According to its website, ECOtality has a history in electric transportation dating back to 1989.

The initial installation will include 12 stations including city-owned parking lots and facilities such as the Long Beach Convention Center, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach Airport, Queen Mary, CityPlace parking structure and a parking lot near Long Beach Boulevard and Market Street.

"The start of installation is dependent on how long it takes to go through (the) Southern California Edison electrical plan check, but we estimate the first batch will be installed in early 2013 and the rest in the months to follow," Price said.

The proposed chargers will be Level 2, 240-volt and DC Fast Chargers, and users will be able to search for their locations through a cellphone application. Each charger will cost ECOtality around $3,000.

Price said the current estimate is approximately 12 locations with between two and six chargers at each location.

"The vendor and city are open to negotiating future locations and stations, depending on customer demand," Price said.

In addition, ECOtality will pay to install a separate meter at each location and will pay for the electricity directly.

Customers will be responsible for the cost of parking in these lots and will be responsible for paying for the use of the charger, Price said.

As far as terms of the three-year contract, the city attorney is still "finalizing the agreement," Price said.